Missouri Employers Mutual relocating from 9-year home

Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance Co. is relocating from the Twin Oaks Office Park, where its Springfield branch has operated for nine years.

Columbia-based MEM spokeswoman Jennifer Peck said the move to 2883 E. Battlefield Road, Ste. A-110, is scheduled for early next year. The company moved into its current space at 909 E. Republic Road, Ste. C-100, in October 2007, according to Springfield Business Journal archives.

Peck said Connell Insurance Inc. expressed interest in expanding into the entire Republic Road building. MEM owns its 5,316 square feet in the Twin Oaks Office Park building, with the remainder of the building owned by Connell Insurance.

“A location in Springfield has been important to the way MEM serves our customers, but that particular location isn’t significant, so we considered – and ultimately accepted – the offer,” Peck said via email.

Tim Connell, president of Connell Insurance, said his company is seeking to buy MEM’s space by year’s end and lease it out. He said his Branson-based firm hired Wilhoit Properties to list the space MEM will vacate at $15 per square foot, triple net. Connell Insurance could potentially take over the entire building in the future.

“Of course, we’d like to keep that option available,” Connell said.

Wilhoit Properties real estate agent Anita Zimmerman said the company is not marketing any other offices for lease at Twin Oaks Office Park. A new 12,000-square-foot building being constructed in the office park brokered by Wilhoit Properties is offered for sale at $1.3 million, according to its online listing.

MEM’s Peck said the company’s new 4,419-square-foot Springfield office in the building owned by Magers Ridgeview Complex LLC has a more open floor plan. Building owner Randy Magers said MEM is close to finalizing a lease for the property.

MEM provides workers’ compensation insurance and has nearly 14,000 policyholders and over 250 employees, according to its website.